In music : Jon Anderson featuring the Band Geeks - Perpetual Change


 We Hear A Sound and Altering Our Returning


The two old men at the back of the theatre were curious, what would the young guns make of their music.

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For years Jon has been deconstructing or reimagining live the work which he has made his name with. Not unlike many people holed up in 2020/21, he decided on a different tack, lets go back to the source, play the 70's music with a bunch of guys who have the musical intellect to find the original music and give it new life. 

By find, I mean find the spirit of the music as it was designed as William Bruford used to say. As we are talking drums Andy Ascolese strikes me as someone one who understands Bill's space and brevity better than anyone bar Dylan Howe, whilst sounding, not playing, like a rock drummer. He also has a ton of energy. But there are moments where in the blink of an eye he is an orchcestral percussionist. Nothing, and then a statement of the tune, rhythmically, or a brief clatter around the kit. As Bill would say admiral restraint.  

On Close To The Edge he gets the syncopation of those two verse songs, in a way no one else ever has. That stop start feel and ride is pure 1972.  He also pilots the introduction rather than hammers his way through it. When the big organ solo comes in the final movement, he is equally up to the challenge of propelling it forward. 

Listening to Yours Is No Disgrace or Perpetual Change I find myself thinking of the Buddy Rich Big Band meets Iron Butterly with CSN vocals. The performances are cinematic, theatrical but when the exposed vocals come in very moving. The ride out of the wordless vocals on Perpetual Change is a beautiful example of the Association collides with Iron Butterfly and I love Jon's improvised shout over the top. 

The keys on the Yes Album material are mixed higher and have more personality than the original; when the guitar emerges it is featured with a different dynamic to the original. On Gates of Delirium the guitar being 'all over everything' is replaced with a more subtle team player feel and some of the organ work and chord reinforcement is stronger than the original. The rotating organ sound under the verses is a fine example of a revival making the music more integrated and nuanced, playing something that was not fully developed on the recording. Indeed Gates of Delirium feels less frantic and on the edge of collapse and a more cohesive grand musical statement.

Jon's voice is a force of nature and whilst And You and I and Awaken come across as a bit more routine and careful, you can enjoy the extra ordinary renaissance his voice has undergone. 

Jon clearly has a lot of confidence in the vocal capabilities of this line up because on the ensemble moments you can hear him having fun and games; that comes from being confident of the forces around him. 

Richie wrestles Heart of The Sunrise away from Chris and make it his own. He is such a charismatic player as well as a great Baritone I would love to have been a fly on the wall if these two had met. 

He should also be thanked for his role as tour manager and making this happen so the elderly gentleman could just walk on stage, wave and sing. and, so beautifully. 

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The old man puts his glass down and stands to applaud and turns to his companion. "Their good, I enjoyed that." He responds. "Yeah, a bit of pushing the envelope too."



  

 

   





 

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